Join Susan as she obsesses about cosmetic chemistry and other things (some possibly related to monkeys). Often strange, occasionally useful, and always worth a stop as a point of interest on your journey through the Intertron.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Formulating an under eye gel: Raymond's creation

We started by establishing our goals. What did Raymond want from an eye gel? He is getting worried about having dark circles under his eyes and about puffiness. He isn't worried about moisturizing or hydrating the under eye area all that much. And he wants something that doesn't feel heavy or greasy.

Sounds to me like Raymond would like an eye gel.

We started by making a thick gel. You can use a pre-made gel and skip right to the recipe, or make your own gel. (I encourage you to make your own gel as it is surprisingly easy and fun!)

Weigh the carbomer into the distilled water and allow it to be wetted before to move on. For Ultrez 21, you can wait about three minutes before neutralizing the gel with the TEA. Check your suppliers' suggestions for the type of carbomer you have if it isn't Ultrez 21.

Once you neutralize the gel with the TEA, add the other ingredients and mix well. It should thicken up in less than a minute. Yay! You have gel!

Please note that I do not know how to make a gel with flaxseed, so I can't give you advice on that. I don't like gums, so I haven't used any to make gels before either. I have always used one carbomer or another, and they've worked for me. If you use another type of gel, please share so others can learn how to do that too!

We removed 20 grams of gel and added our ingredients to it. (You really want to use a tiny scale that can weigh down to 0.1 grams for this recipe.)

I thought I'd use Revital-Eyes, a cosmeceutical sent to me by the Formulator Sample Shop. (I encourage you to check out the post I've already written to learn more.) It is supposed to help with dark under eye circles, so I thought I'd include it at up to 5% in my product. You can substitute it with water soluble green tea extract or caffeine extract at the suggested usage rates. *

Eyebright* (INCI: Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract & Water & Euphrasia Officinalis Extract) comes in two forms - an oil soluble and water soluble, and I'm using the water soluble in this product. Eyebright is supposed to be good for sensitive skin, and offers anti-inflammatory, astringent, and soothing properties to our products. It's supposed to be good for puffy eyes, which sounds like a perfect match for an eye gel! (Click here for a data bulletin on eyebright.) Eyebright is used in traditional medicine for swelling around the eyes, eyestrain, and inflammation related to coughs and fever (Wikipedia).

Horsetail extract is supposed to be good for inflammation. Reducing inflammation may reduce the look of dark circles under the eyes. It's recommended as an astringent and anti-oxidant that offers increased wound healing, improved circulation, and retention of connective tissue like collagen and elastin. The main component of horsetail extract is silica, making up 5% to 7% of the extract. This is believed to help improve nail and hair quality, and help retain collagen and elastin. Horsetail extract also contains an unique mixed-linkage glucan (which can be called ß-glucan or beta-glucan, which is also found in oats), a polysaccharide that forms a thin gel like layer that offers hydration, emolliency, and anti-inflammatory features like those found in aloe vera. (Link to the Formulator Sample Shop version we used.)

Dark eye complex is not an inexpensive ingredient, but the claims it makes are pretty awesome. It claims to help strengthen the capillaries around the eye area, which may diminish the look of dark circles.

White tea extract contains a lot of anti-oxidants, and it sounds lovely on the label!

*Please note: The Formulator Sample Shop sent me these ingredients for free. I am not being compensated in any way for using their ingredients, except that I get them for free. I use them because I like them.

What does Raymond think of the eye gel? He admits that he's not accustomed to having things on his skin, so it does feel a bit weird to have this gel under his eyes. He notes there's a slight tightness as it dries, which he likes. It isn't shiny upon application, and he doesn't notice it during the day. He thinks his eyes are looking better, which he likes.

What do you do if you don't have these ingredients? Check out the other posts I've written on making under eye products! There are so many ways you could address these goals using other ingredients like caffeine, green tea, various proteins, aloe vera, and more, so I encourage you to do some experimenting with the ingredients you have at hand!

5 comments:

Hi Susan. I have tried making gels using Amaze XT (INCI Name: Dehydroxanthan gum). The gel that I have made using this material is quite clear, considering that this material is a gum. I think it is a good substitute for carbomer gels.

Hi Kirk! I have posts on using that ingredient as well. I liked it, but we can't buy it in Canada any more. Sigh...

Hi Mary! We used the small container you see in the picture, a half ounce squeezy tube from Voyageur Soap & Candle. It'd totally be appropriate for a pump bottle, but those tend to be bigger. Use a smaller 2 ounce pump bottle, maybe?

I was wondering if I could use regular Aloe Vers GEL as the "gel" in this recipe. This is my first attempt at making an under eye gel for puffy dark circles. I'm going to order the other ingredients but wanted to make sure I could use Aloe Vera Gel in this recipe. Thank you for all your wonderful information!

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Who the heck is Swift?

I'm an aspiring cosmetic scientician and DIY girl interested in pretty much any craft you can name - bookbinding, jewellery making, sewing, paper crafts, polymer clay - but my main passion is bath & body product making.
I am currently obsessed with Rock Band (bass and singing) and science books. Did you know my favourite word is "toaster" and my favourite adjective is "hirsute"?